specialed Posted August 24, 2004 Posted August 24, 2004 Climb: Mt. Alberta-NE Ridge Date of Climb: 8/18/2004 Trip Report: Last week, Rolf Larsen from 11worth and I went up to the Rockies. Drove all day Sunday from 11worth to Field. Luckily, Parks Canada employees were on strike so were were able to doss in the dirt all week and didn't need to get a b/c pass. Monday morning went up to the Parkway Center to look at weather forecast. Forecast looked pretty good for the next couple days - sunny with some isolated afternoon showers. Rolf was keen on climbing Alberta, and since the weather was stable enough we set off to do the NE Ridge. Left the truck around noon, forded the silty freezing cold Waisporous (sp?) and heade up Woolley Creek. About 4.5 hrs thru beautiful country and we were up into the alpine, over the col, and down to the Hut. Got stormed on that night for 10 minutes as an evening storm rolled in. Off at 4:00 AM the next morning after some instant coffee and glue (oatmeal). Made it over to the base of the route before it was light so we sat for about a half hour. Started the route about 6:00, up some chossy 5.8. Rolf setting off cascaded of rocks with every move. Two roped pitches and we gained the ridge. We soloed up about a 1000' on loosely stacked blocks up to the main headwall where the sketchy 5.10 was supposed to be. WInd was ripping over the north side and we started belaying again. About six real chossy and loose pitches with minimal pro going at about 5.9+ saw us up the headwall. One pitch was actually decent with a hand crack and some chimneying. Of course, right after that I pulled a coffee-table book sized rock onto my head and had to hold it there while I rearranged my self to trundle it. The last section, was super unconsolidated dinner plates and some snow and no pro. But we managed to sneak around the east side of the steepest snow on a rock ledge as I only had aluminum strap ons and no snow or ice pro. The summmit ridge was trully a "Sidewalk in the sky," but we were moving too fast to really appreciate it as we summitted at 4:00 pm, and a huge thunder storm was building and moving up valley. An hour later we were at the Japenese Route Gulley. Ten nerve-racking raps, with a thunder of rocks coming down on every rope pull, saw us to the yellow band and we traversed south. Luckily the thunder storm never materialized and we made it down to the flats before dark, leaving us with a casual and beautiful hike across the moraine and back up the glacier to the hut. A 17 hr day. Note: N Face is not in in August anymore and hasn't been climbed since the mid-90's, despite attempts by many well-known and strong parties. After that - a rest day in which I spent all day drinking beer and hitting on the hotty Australian girl that works at the Hostel (to no avail of course). Passed up an attempt on the E Face of Babel due to bear closures and weather and went east to climb the Kafir Strikes Back on Mt. Edith - III, 10c. Crux pitch was completely soaked so we settled for Homage to the Spider on Mt. Louis - III, 10a. I highly recomend this route as it turned out to be one of the funnest routes I've done. Sustained 5.9/10a, in great position on interesting rock, cool features, challenging but never desperate. All in all a great trip with a very solid partner. Though Rolf is a cynical bastard, I'm a judgmental asshole so it worked out OK. Gear Notes: alpine rack, pins Approach Notes: no bears, lots of loose scree Quote
Alpinfox Posted August 24, 2004 Posted August 24, 2004 This picture is awesome: Nice work Special. In the overview picture of the mountain (your first picture), the NE ridge is the right skyline, yes? Quote
specialed Posted August 24, 2004 Author Posted August 24, 2004 Yeah, should have clarified. Go up the right skyline, over the about 3/4 of ridge and down the J route. Quote
Dru Posted August 24, 2004 Posted August 24, 2004 So did you find any of Tobin Sorenson's body parts up there or what? Quote
iain Posted August 24, 2004 Posted August 24, 2004 The canadian rockies are so cool. Thanks for the great pictures. Always impressed by the scale of stuff there. Quote
dberdinka Posted August 24, 2004 Posted August 24, 2004 That looks fuggin terrifying. Nice work! Quote
glassgowkiss Posted August 24, 2004 Posted August 24, 2004 looks like you did 4th ascent of the route, very nice, specially this year as the weather is kind of crappy there. also check http://members.shaw.ca/raphael2/ for some more info of this route. congratulations Quote
Colin Posted August 24, 2004 Posted August 24, 2004 Nice job Pete and Rolf - looks rad. Any pictures of the north face? Quote
Buckaroo Posted August 24, 2004 Posted August 24, 2004 Colin, August 1999 from the rap off point (wet year) August 2003, airial view, (dry year) Quote
Dru Posted August 24, 2004 Posted August 24, 2004 August 2003, airial view, (dry year) Note: N Face is not in in August anymore and hasn't been climbed since the mid-90's, despite attempts by many well-known and strong parties. Quote
Buckaroo Posted August 24, 2004 Posted August 24, 2004 come on Dru, you know he was on the N face, but his ghost did rattle the door on the hut while I was there ACC accident report for Mr. Sorenson Quote
Dru Posted August 24, 2004 Posted August 24, 2004 wasn't it Wilford who traversed under the headwall over to the Ne ridge and finished up that? And I believe someone else before him did the same thing... Quote
rat Posted August 24, 2004 Posted August 24, 2004 the north face looked considerably worse than 2003. the first icefield was almost black from the constant rockfall, the small ice slope above the yellow bands was basically gone, the upper rock band was streaming water and the newly formed seracs on top cut loose at least once. amazing changes going on up there. gonna have to change tactics if you wanna tick those faces. overall, a very successful trip. thanks for slowing down so i could keep up. the youth these days sure are strong--too well fed as pups, i guess. Quote
specialed Posted August 24, 2004 Author Posted August 24, 2004 N Face looked like the skid marks in Dru's tighty-whities. Quote
rat Posted August 24, 2004 Posted August 24, 2004 yea, wilford climbed the upper northeast ridge to retreat off the north face above the yellow bands. i don't remember the year. including wilford, who climbed the hardest part of the route during his epic, there have been at least 4 recorded ascents prior to peter and i. put up in 1985, it likely has had some anonymous ascents as well. Quote
Buckaroo Posted August 24, 2004 Posted August 24, 2004 damn that looks horrific, but I think it's wet from rain just as much as it is from snow melt, the N face takes the longest to dry out from the rain, basically you need several dry days then enough good days to ascend. I think it's a trade off between the yellow band being iced upped and mixed and the headwall being dry and ice free. The yellow band is easier iced up but then the headwall is going to have ice also. I think it's rare conditions that you have the yellow band iced and the headwall dry. I believe the route is to the left of where the serac calves. Deklerck said the headwall pitches were dry and went at 5.10 no aid, but knowing Deklerck it could have been runnout. Quote
layton Posted August 26, 2004 Posted August 26, 2004 you guyz R 2 cool 4 skoul! (except for Rolf). Quote
Marko Posted September 9, 2004 Posted September 9, 2004 That's a wicked damn mountain. Nice work!! Another ascent of the NE Ridge: Mark Price and partner (I forget his last name) did it in the early '90's. Quote
G-spotter Posted January 15, 2019 Posted January 15, 2019 This thread needs the image links fixed @jon @olyclimber Quote
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